1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a front storage compartment structure for a vehicle, and to a vehicle incorporating the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a front storage compartment structure formed by mounting a plate member on a cover member of a scooter-type vehicle, in which the cover member and a lower extension of the plate member define a water channel therebetween, which extends obliquely upwardly and laterally from a water drain hole in a transverse direction of the vehicle, for guiding water to the water drain hole of the cover member, and to a vehicle incorporating the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
There is a known a scooter-type vehicle having a storage unit (front storage compartment) for storing articles introduced therein from above (for example, see Japanese Patent No. 3484919, specifically FIG. 8 thereof).
As shown in FIG. 8 of the Japanese Patent No. 3484919, a plate member (16) is mounted on a cover member (15) (reference numerals in parentheses represent numbers referred to in the Japanese Patent No. 3484919, also applicable to other reference numerals in parentheses below) which covers a vehicle body. The plate member (16) and the cover member (15) make up a front storage compartment which is open upwardly.
At the bottom of the storage unit, the cover member (15) has a rib (20), and the plate member (16) has a corresponding groove (26) formed in an edge thereof for engaging the rib (20).
While the vehicle is driven during rain, rainwater which has entered the storage unit reaches the bottom of the storage unit, then flows along a gap between the rib (20) and the groove (26), and subsequently flows out of the storage unit from a drain hole formed in the cover member (15).
In the front storage compartment structure, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent No. 3484919, however, an increased amount of rainwater that enters the storage unit causes water to overflow the gap between the rib (20) and the groove (26), to seep outwardly from the edge of the plate member (16), and to flow down the surface of the cover member (15). When the water has dried, it tends to smear the surface of the cover member (15) with a water stain. The water stain causes impairment in appearance of areas around the front storage compartment.
The present invention is made to overcome such drawbacks of the existing front storage compartment structure for a vehicle. According it is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a front storage compartment structure for a vehicle which is capable of draining an increased volume of accumulated water therefrom, thereby reducing an amount of water seeping out to the surface of a cover member, thereby to avoid water staining and thereby improve the long-term appearance of areas around the front storage compartment.